easy how-to: make mitred corners using bias tape
For some reason, I always thought that making mitred corners using bias tape would be really tricky. It turns out it’s super simple! Now you have no reason to fear binding around corners… using this tutorial, you can put bias tape on potholders, pockets, collars, you name it! Bias tape is just such a cute touch. This tutorial utilizes double-fold bias tape.
First, you want to have your fabric ready. This means if you want it quilted, you’ve already finished all that. Trim your edges to make sure all your corners are sharp, perfect 90-degree angles. Then cut a piece of bias tape that is long enough to go around all four sides of your piece, with some extra to overlap at the end.
It’s harder to start with the end, so I like to start somewhere in the middle. Usually I fold the tape in half to find the center, then place that in the center of one of the sides. That’s the side I start with.
Now let’s go!
Step 1: See how your bias tape is folded in half? One of these halves is more narrow than the other. Place the more narrow side on top: this ensures that the underside is caught even if your fabric is a little bit thick. Make sure the tape is on straight, then sew all the way down your first side.
Step 2: Fold your bias tape around the corner…
…line up the half that stays on the back…
…and Step 3: play with your corner until it looks like a pretty, clean mitred corner on both sides! At this point I like to give it a quick “stay there!” press with the iron… pins don’t do too well since there are too many layers and they just end up shifting things around.
Step 4: Sew all the way down your next side, starting with the anchoring stitch at your corner. Continue for all four sides!
I love this way so much more than the normal sew-on-the-underside-and-fold-over method that all the books teach you. Thankyou for introducing us to this method (:
Woah, that is super easy! I’ve never tried it because it just seemed like it would be difficult. Thanks for the tutorial, Sam!
This is a great tutorial! I am saving it to use the next time I bind a quilt. I am new to quilting and mitered corners still confuse me. Thanks for sharing!
it looks awesome!i just attempted my first mitered corners last night on a quilt.
Oh Yay! I just started playing with bias tape last month and ended up with the ugliest corners. I can’t wait to use it again. Thanks for the tip!
how and where do you start and finish the mitered corners? it’s easy to do corners 2, 3 and 4 but not starting and finishing corner 1!
That’s a good point, thanks Mimi! If you look in the last photo, after the last corner I overlapped the ends slightly and folded the bias tape under itself to finish it. That was on the pink one. On the green one, which I did second, I got a little smarter and started the bias tape in the middle of side 1 – does that make sense? That’s the best way:
– start bias tape, raw edge is fine, at halfway point of side 1… sew to corner 1.
– use corner trick, you are now on side 2, sew to corner 2.
– use corner trick, you are now on side 3, sew to corner 3.
– use corner trick, you are now on side 4, sew to corner 4.
– use corner trick, you are now back on side 1! Cut the bias tape so you’ve got enough to overlap the raw edge that you started with, as well as about 1/4″ to tuck under itself to hide all raw edges. Sew to end of bias tape at approx halfway down side 1.
I hope that is clear. I thought the corner trick was so cool that I never thought about the rest of it – but you’re right, that does warrant explaining! Let me know if you have more questions. The last picture, above, with the finished potholders should give you a good idea of the steps.
Thanks for visiting!
yes it does samantha! thank you very much!